La Terrasse rouge – Saint-Émilion
Like an equator between the Pomerol and Saint-Émilion appellations, the restaurant imagined by Jean Nouvel above the winery of La Dominique (grand cru classé) embraces the most prestigious vineyards, including Cheval-Blanc, with its exquisite red glimmers.
Its panoramic terrace is strewn with miniature garnet-hued pebbles whilst the chef, Rémy Joly’s, state-of-the-art South-West menu plays with classy-brasserie-style codes (Landes chicken casserole, Blayais asparagus, Périgord black truffles…).
On the counter, Bellota ham and Champ Secret camembert echo the superb quality of the product sourced by the manager Nicolas Lascombes (Brasserie Bordelaise).
Château La Dominique, 33330 Saint-Émilion.
Tel: +33 (0)5 57 24 47 05. www.laterrasserouge.com/en/
Logis de la Cadène – Saint-Émilion
Expert in the art of pairing wines and food, Château Angélus could not have wished for a more elegant variation that this abode nestling along one of the lanes in the listed village of Saint-Émilion. The Cadène, headed, just like the famous family-run vineyard, by Stéphanie de Bouärd-Rivoal, cherishes its rustic-chic-styled one-starred gastronomic soul with taste and simplicity. The scope of the wine list (1,000 references!) is equalled only by the lavishness of the dishes concocted by the chef Alexandre Baumard and his partner pastry chef Damien Amilien, key players of an establishment which has gained a new lease of life overflowing with regional aromas.
3, place du Marché-au-Bois, 33330 Saint-Émilion.
Tel: +33 (0)5 57 24 71 40.
www.logisdelacadene.fr/en/
La Chapelle - Sauternes
Xavier Planty and Nicolas Lascombes’ project now flourishes at the heart of an estate with a pioneering soul: the only one that biodynamically produces a 1er grand cru classé Sauternes. Its restaurant, set in the château’s 18th-century chapel, proposes several modular spaces (lounge, bar, dining area, boutique, etc.), where the vaults rub shoulders with raw materials and tables d’hôtes fashioned in oak rescued from the 1999 storm. Like the Terrasse Rouge and the 7 (Cité du vin), ‘tasty, meticulously-selected” products with their Gascon twist, dear to chef Djordje Ercevic, take pride of place.
Château Guiraud, 33210 Sauternes.
Tel: +33 (0)5 56 76 61 01.
www.lachapelledeguiraud.com/en/
La Grand’Vigne – Pessac-Léognan
An “evermore-wine-country” focus: is the path which the Sources de Caudalie’s 2-starred chef Nicolas Masse chose to adventure down for his new menu. His recipes, created with the same attention as that given to blending a wine, tell a story: “Of the vineyard and those who nurture it”, he says. Here, along Smith-Haut-Lafitte, it is depicted down to the slow-cooked John Dory and the very crumbs of this bread made with grape-yeast. Grand cru oblige, the chocolate is too, expertly-mastered by the pastry chef Jordane Stiée.
Sources de Caudalie, chemin de Smith-Haut-Lafitte, 33650 Martillac.
Tel: +33 (0)5 57 83 83 83.
www.sources-caudalie.com/en/
La Grande Maison de Bernard Magrez - Bordeaux
Four grands crus classés, some forty-odd châteaux, a contemporary arts centre… the man who defines himself as “ambassador of excellence” also reigns over this Relais & Châteaux-classified Bordeaux mansion, where Bordeaux can be found even on the handles of the knives fashioned by the designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. As a prelude to the agapes orchestrated by Pierre Gagnaire and Jean-Denis Le Bras, Pape-Clément fine-lees butter provides a winemaker’s nod, whilst the Clémentin blanc-flavoured granita crowns a langoustine tartare. Dishes which may be enhanced with over 259 references (including 172 grands crus classés).
La Grande Maison, 10, rue Labottière, 33000 Bordeaux.
Tel: +33 (0)5 35 38 16 16.
www.lagrandemaison-bordeaux.com/en/
Hotel-restaurant Lalique - Sauternes
Absolute art de vivre, according to Silvio Denz, CEO of Lalique, collector and owner of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey (Sauternes 1er grand cru classé), nestles in this prestigious oasis. Redesigned with a glass structure, the establishment – which celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2018 – bears the stamp of a firm which is just as time-honoured: furnishings, chandeliers, inlays, shades conjuring up the beige of the stone, the green and red of the surrounding vines. In the culinary delights created by Jérôme Schilling (1 Michelin star), Sauternes reigns supreme, occasionally in highly-unexpected guises.
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, 33210 Bommes.
www.lafauriepeyragueylalique.com/en
